Day 1: Milano

I have been planning this trip for the past three months. Zermatt - a village on the Swiss Alps - would be my final destination.

The day came to take the train to Athens and another train to the Airport.

Trains are lovely and I met a wonderful girl with Downs Syndrome and her mom, who were also going to Athens. We had a lot to talk about and we became friends! I love trains, because one can make unexpected aquaintances...

milano centrale

There was a lot of waiting, looking around the shops of the airport... I did not buy anything, just some masticha sweets in case I wanted to munch on something while travelling...

On this trip, I was really proud of travelling light, just one small back pack. I am training myself to travel light. Since I was travelling to the Alps, the weather would be cold and I had to have warm clothes, which take much space in the suitcase.

My favorite part of flying is take off and landing. I could not stop looking down from my window... It was sensational.


I arrived in Milano expecting the weather to be cold, but in fact it was really hot and humid. 

Took the train from the airport to Milano Centrale, the central station of Milano.

The station left me speechless. It was really grand, tall ceilings, carvings on the wall, a real piece of art but also in the spirit of Mussolini: make buildings bigger - taller - full with carvings, he wanted it all.

 I wandered around to find my hotel, which I did not check on the map... The area is full of hotels and full of tourists. Milano even has trams, something I did not know and surprised me! Found the hotel. It was on the 4th floor of an old building. The elevator was one of these ancient elevators in which you can see the booth descending. It just about fit me and my backpack! These elevators can be intimidating, but I used to have an elevator like this when I lived on the 6th floor of an ancient block of flats in Athens. Very familiar. 

I would only spend some hours in this city. I was told by a friend to go see the Duomo, the main Cathedral. Left my luggage, put on a small dress - it was hot outside - took the metro and got to Duomo.

The metro is old and dirty, a bit like London's underground. Very sufficient and very easy to figure out. Like London.

The square of the Duomo was busy with tourists and expensive shops. Even Zara was really expensive, let alone Benetton... It was sales season, but still everything was too expensive.

Milano is a flat city, so most of the locals go around in bicycles. And they are sooo classy! Beautiful women wearing tiny dresses and high heels, riding beautiful, retro bicycles and handsome men in suits riding bicycles.  It is a stylish bicycle heaven! If I had more time I would surely pick up one of the bicycles from the renting sations scattered in the city...

The time passed and I felt my stomach complaining. I was hoping for dinner where the locals eat, not the busy tourist restaurants. Yet, I did not have the courage to walk any longer. I found myself next to a classy restaurant behind the Duomo. My mind was harassing me: It will be expensive. It will be crap. "What the hell" I thought, " I deserve a classy dinner next to the Duomo". I sat down and ordered a risoto milanese and a glass of white wine. I was waited on by a handsome smiling young Italian...


As the dawn approached, so did the mosquitoes. Zanzare in italian. I thought mosquitoes are a greek priviledge, but I was wrong. Small and vicious. Drank my blood like crazy, leaving white itchy circles on my skin...

Paid 20 euros for my dinner - not so much after all... - and took the metro back to the hotel.

On my way home I bought a pizza for breakfast from an extremely touristic restaurant near the hotel. When I went back to the room I discovered the pizza guy had made my pizza in the shape of a heart! Italians! I love their sense of humor!

I slept like a log with the company of a fan. I did not dare open the windows and get bitten by more mosquitoes...

I had an early start next morning.

I had to go back to the airport to meet Sylvia - whom I did not know - and some other Greeks who were arriving to go to Zermatt on a rented mini bus....

2b continued....